As well as the expedition, which will be the eighth one to the
Southern Ocean, the campaign will focus on engaging with the 69% of
people in Japan who do not support whaling (1) in the Sanctuary, by
generating a global crew to campaign together through a new website
www.greenpeace.org.nz/whales

"Last year our campaign forced corporations out of the whaling
business, now the Japanese government is spending tax payers money
on a redundant industry that the majority of the voters in my
country don't even agree with," said Junichi Sato, whale project
leader from Greenpeace Japan, speaking from Auckland.

"We want to work with the two-thirds majority at home who share
our view, so a clear message is sent from the people of Japan to
their own government to get out of whaling."

Opposition to whaling is often characterised by the Japanese
government as being anti-Japan, The Greenpeace campaign will send a
positive message that we love Japan, but not whaling, to make it
clear that while there is global opposition to whaling, there is
respect and understanding of the people.

"The Japanese government is not the only one that we will be
challenging to stop whaling," said Esperanza expedition leader and
New Zealander, Karli Thomas. "Too many governments have talked
about protecting the whales without taking action. They need to
ensure that they gain enough support inside the International
Whaling Commission (IWC) (2) to begin the process of reforming it,
so it becomes an organisation that works for the whales and not for
the whalers."

The Esperanza is on the last leg of a global expedition -
"Defending Our Oceans", which exposed all the major threats to the
oceans and began in November 2005 by sailing to the Southern Ocean.
By putting themselves between the harpoon and the whales, activists
stopped 82 whales from being killed.